The Perfect Way to Begin your Journey…

Steeped in history, Fredericksburg is truly a look back into America’s past. The Fredericksburg Centre for Information is the perfect jumping off point for your visit to this beautiful city located halfway between Washington D.C. and Richmond, Virginia. The year 1608 found Captain John Smith charting this area as the western most point of his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay region. George Washington spent his childhood nearby, and after the Revolutionary War, attorney and future president James Monroe started his law practice in town.

The Rappahannock River fueled economic development in Fredericksburg before and after the Civil War. An important colonial port, the river supplied a way to transport products from the plantations and ironworks to other parts of Virginia. Witness to several battles between union and confederate soldiers, the city suffered significant structural damage and loss due to looting during the Battle of Fredericksburg fought in 1862. Entrenched on Marye’s Heights above the city, the Confederate Army was able to hold off repeated attempts by the Union to push them away from Fredericksburg.

The Fredericksburg Historic District is included in the National Register of Historic Places and encompasses 40 blocks featuring architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries. Locally owned restaurants, landmarks and quaint shops are all found within an easy walk of the Fredericksburg Centre for Information building. The centre is convenient to I-95 and rail transportation. For a slower-paced trip through this downtown area there are trolleys and horse drawn carriages. The city offers a variety of entertainment options with its many historical museums, art galleries and performing arts venues.

Visitors tour the nearby military parks that commemorate the Civil War battles fought here and peer back in time at historic places like the Kenmore Plantation. The University of Mary Washington was founded in honor of the mother of George Washington who resided in the city for many years. While Fredericksburg is now a modern and vibrant place to visit and live, the downtown Historic District remains the heartbeat of this charming southern city.